


i'm afraid for your soul

by ameliajessica



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-04
Updated: 2013-05-04
Packaged: 2017-12-10 09:44:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/784646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ameliajessica/pseuds/ameliajessica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After four years of dealing with her, Jeff Winger has come to some conclusions about Annie Edison.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm afraid for your soul

**Author's Note:**

> Heavily, heavily, totally, completely inspired by this fanvid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc_feKbkIIQ. Much like Annie to Jeff, it came out of nowhere into my life and became my most favourite thing ever. It's really, really good. Maybe watch before reading? It might add to it.
> 
> Not sure whereabouts this could be set but that doesn't really matter. S4, I suppose.

 After four years of dealing with her, Jeff Winger has come to some conclusions about Annie Edison.

Annie Edison, he concludes, is a force of nature, spinning the world to work at her will - Jeff no more than anyone or anything - but never taking anything for granted. It took him a while to realise but Annie isn't the kind of girl you just call 'hot'; Annie Edison is beautiful, not just physically (though of course, she is) but because better than anyone she knows that life doesn't hesitate to kick in the stomach you were about to stand, and every time makes the decision to get up anyway.

She scares him.

Before him is the girl you write songs about, base movies on, the one that can shake up your life, open your eyes to your own capabilities and _change_ you to the man you were always meant to be. He missed the days when the biggest obstacle was her age, because now she's twenty two year old, but still wild only in the sense of her complete lust for life; now she's a twenty two year old and what's in his way is himself because he doesn't know how he can suddenly become good enough, if he has it in him at all.

If she'll stop running towards her future long enough to let him catch up.

"You're being ridiculous." Abed's voice comes out of nowhere, snapping him out of his epiphany... ies..., almost making him drop his coffee. Yelping, he turns to the figure who had materialised in behind him. He glances behind him and raises his eyebrows in a silent question. Abed rolls his eyes and points to where Britta is talking animatedly to Troy, who doesn't look like he's paying attention but instead staring at his girlfriend adoringly. At one point during her rant she catches him looking at her, and he just smiles as if it's the most natural thing in the world. Britta looks down, biting her lips to (unsuccessfully) hide her wide grin and tucking her hair behind her ear before continuing more shyly.

Despite taking place in the middle of the cafeteria, it feels like carrying on watching would be intruding, on something more personal than he could have ever have expected from Britta. Maybe she wasn't the problem, he thinks bitterly, but him instead. Always him.

"Jeff stop," Abed sighs, sliding into the seat next to him.

"Stop what?"

"Monologuing," he says. "While I am glad you've finally advanced enough in your character to come to conclusions on your own without my help, but honestly I think you still might need it ."

"Abed," Jeff says wearily, "what are you talking about?"

"Annie," he says simply, and Jeff heart does a stupid little dive into his stomach.

"What, uh, about her?" Jeff licks his lips and avoids looking at him.

Abed expression says he is taking none of his shit.

Jeff clears his throat, but says nothing. Abed apparently takes it as a sign that he's allowed to elaborate.

"I'm concerned," he says, "about the development between you two. It's not concrete anymore. It seems you've split it between two tropes. On one hand, Annie has become your 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' but instead of being inspired by her, you're pushing yourself into the 'I Want My Beloved to Be Happy' trope."

At the word 'beloved', Jeff chokes on his coffee. Abed ignores him.

"You're wondering if you'll ever be able to get her," Abed says, and Jeff will never get used to the way how unafraid he is to unravel Jeff's walls, expose him to the world. How he explains Jeff's life to him as if he is explaining his own. "But that's not Annie. Annie isn't something you catch Jeff. For you, Annie's the sort of girl that could turn you inside out."

Absurdly, Jeff feels defensiveness rise in him. "I can handle _Annie Edison_ \--!"

"What you talking about?" Troy chirps, suddenly behind him. Jeff jumps, curses and glares at Britta as she laughs at him. The two of them sit opposite him and Abed, still holding hands until Britta reaches over to try to steal a handful of Jeff's carrot sticks, which he responds to by slapping her hand away.

"The current stall in Jeff and Annie's progress."

"Abed!"

"Jeff please," Britta scoffs. "It is literally the most obvious thing in the world."

Troy hums in agreement. Jeff wants to glare at him but feels like it won't be as effective through the stupid, ridiculous blush he can feel burning his face, so just scowls down at his coffee instead.

Jeff scoffs, causing Abed to regard him curiously. "But you also need to stop treating Annie like she's gonna solve all your problems," Britta chimes in.

Letting out an indignant noise through his nose, Jeff opens his mouth to argue but Britta gets there before him. "Annie is a great girl, Jeff. She's determined and pretty and loyal. She would make you very happy, but don't label her as just a solution. She's her own person who's gonna have her own issues and problems to resolve and the reason you two haven't been able to work it out is because you're not thinking of her."

"Of course I am!" Jeff blurts out. "It's just you guys can't realise sometimes it's not enough just wanting to be with someone. There are other factors; maybe one person doesn't deserve the other, even if the other person doesn't want to believe it."

He is a forest and she is a wildfire, coming in at the point in his life when he least expected to find someone to change the path he was on. Annie Edison can handle herself, but Jeff doesn't know how he'd get by without having her there to smile at him every day. 

"You don't get to decide that Jeff," Abed says calmly. "Annie does."

"And there will always be other factors, so it's not worth waiting for them to disappear." Britta and Troy share a look full of something Jeff can't name. Annie sidles in with Shirley, sitting next to him without seeming to think about it and everyone else just goes silent, staring at her.

"W-What?" she says nervously, looking around at all of them before finally settling on Jeff.

"Nothing," he smiles, looking at her for longer than he intended. Shrugging, she takes a carrot stick, asks everyone if they've done their assignment for this week. They all groan and try to change the subject and Annie huffs and begins a lecture with, "C'mon you guys."

He realises, her arm warm against his and glint bright in her eye, that Abed is right. Annie Edison will eat him alive.

"Listen to Annie guys," he reasons as the rest of the group begins to protest at her suggestions for a new study schedule. The smile she gives his is blinding, stops his breath in his throat.

Honestly?

He can't wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Pierce and Shirley arrived later.


End file.
